You are absolutely right to be offended. I have neurodivergent people in my family. I love them dearly. I wouldn’t want them to be any different. My father (likely) had autism. He was a professor who got invited to lecture at the Sorbonne and wrote something like 30 books. My brother has autism. He makes far more money than I do because he’s a really good coder and he’s happily married. Neurodivergent people can live lives as full of success and happiness (and lack of success and unhappiness) as anyone else. They just do it differently.
Acting like autism is some sort of horror that parents should fear is disgusting.
On my way to work, there’s a house I always pass with an “autistic child” sign, a yellow square sign, next to the road. I just feel offended seeing it. Even if the individual in question could be low functioning, inattentive, actually at risk of walking into the street or something, that sign has probably been there past their childhood into adulthood, and a sign to announce your child’s autism to drivers is just… something else.
You are absolutely right to be offended. I have neurodivergent people in my family. I love them dearly. I wouldn’t want them to be any different. My father (likely) had autism. He was a professor who got invited to lecture at the Sorbonne and wrote something like 30 books. My brother has autism. He makes far more money than I do because he’s a really good coder and he’s happily married. Neurodivergent people can live lives as full of success and happiness (and lack of success and unhappiness) as anyone else. They just do it differently.
Acting like autism is some sort of horror that parents should fear is disgusting.
On my way to work, there’s a house I always pass with an “autistic child” sign, a yellow square sign, next to the road. I just feel offended seeing it. Even if the individual in question could be low functioning, inattentive, actually at risk of walking into the street or something, that sign has probably been there past their childhood into adulthood, and a sign to announce your child’s autism to drivers is just… something else.
I would feel the same way. What the hell is wrong with just a Caution: Children sign?